Allen Institute for Brain Science

Allen Institute for Brain Science & The BRAIN Initiative

The Allen Institute for Brain Science is a leader in large-scale brain research and open, public sharing of data, tools and knowledge for scientists worldwide through brain-map.org.

As part of a ten-year project launched in March 2012 to understand the neural code — how brain activity leads to perception, decision making, and ultimately action — the Allen Institute has created a set of large-scale programs to understand the fundamentals of the brain through its components, computations and cognition. These programs build upon the Institute’s abilities to create unique resources for scientists, exemplified in the two most recent resources: the Allen Cell Types Database, the first major scientific step to create a searchable standards database for the brain, and the Allen Brain Observatory, the first tool of its kind to provide a highly standardized survey of cellular-level activity in the mouse visual system.

About The Allen Institute for Brain Science

Our brains are what make us human. They give rise to our thoughts, actions, movements and desires, store our memories, and enable us to navigate our world every day. Yet despite decades of research—and impressive knowledge gathered about other aspects of the human body, including our entire genetic sequence—the brain remains largely a mystery.

The Allen Institute for Brain Science was established to answer some of the most pressing questions in neuroscience, grounded in an understanding of the brain and inspired by our quest to uncover the essence of what makes us human.

Our model for doing science is unlike most any other research institution. Using the original guiding principles—team science, big science and open science—and a unique program structure, the Allen Institute aims to accelerate research worldwide through public releases of new data, knowledge and tools.